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Thursday, October 09, 2008

Gilbert & George Retrospective at the Brooklyn Museum

Life by Gilbert and George, part of Death Hope Life Fear series, via the Brooklyn Museum

The Brooklyn Museum is the final stop in the global tour of the Gilbert & George retrospective, offering a comprehensive overview of the art the British duo has been making since 1970. Gilbert & George’s body of work encompasses performance art and charcoal sketches as well as digital picture installations. The duo has long addressed issues of sexuality, politics, race, faith, and identity in provocative ways. Their partnership started in 1967 at Central St. Martin’s College. The retrospective involves 90 pieces of their work. The exhibit is open now and will close on January 11th 2009.

Gilbert & George I known for pushing boundaries and experimenting with their art. For example, in May of 2007 they were the subject of a BBC ‘Imagine' documentary. At the end of the program a work entitled 'Planed' was made available as a free file download from the BBC and Guardian websites for 48 hours. People who downloaded the files could then print off and assemble the piece, and own an original Gilbert and George work for free. Some consider the duo a pioneer force in digital art.

For those who don’t know, Gilbert & George won the Turner Prize in 1986 and represented the UK at the 2005 Venice Biennale. Oddly enough, the two have revolted against art’s elitism throughout their career. They have went as far as to name their house“Art for All” and have also declared that they are “living sculptures.”